Apparitions: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story
by OneOneTwo
Summary: Sean, Jonas, Stan, and Adam are all the best of friends. Since it is an especially dark and rainy night, these 4 Koopa Troopas head to GCN Luigi's Mansion to see if they can spend a night at the place, as legends say it becomes very haunted during the night. However, these best of friends have no idea what they are in for. Based off of GCN Luigi's Mansion from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
1. Chapter 1: One Night at Luigi's

**Apparitions: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story**

Chapter 1: One Night at Luigi's

It was a dark and stormy night, the kind of night where spooky things happen. I was running through the rain to meet my friends near the haunted mansion.

"Dang it!" I shouted, "Where is that mansion?" I got out my flashlight and checked my map. I looked at the dotted path, following its trail to the haunted mansion we were going to. I then used my flashlight to check out my surroundings a little. I was on a dirt path a long way away from home in the middle of nowhere. I shivered a little bit, partially from cold and partially from fear. There were dead trees everywhere and there were also a fair amount of crows. I started to regret doing this as I continued to walk down the dirt path…

"Boo!"

I jumped and screamed, as I turned around to see one of my friends,

"Oh come on Jonas, was that really necessary?" I asked. Jonas laughed,

"No, but come on Sean, that was pretty funny," I sighed,

"Not for me, but whatever you say. Anyways, where are the others?" Jonas pointed down the dirt path,

"Everyone's over there, come on! We're Koopa Troopas, we stick together!" I nodded and ran down the dusty dirt path after Jonas. I continued to look around, taking in the many shriveled dead trees and black crows. I started to become more accustomed to it, but it was still frightening.

"Hurry up, Sean!" Jonas shouted, running down a hill.

"I'm coming! I'm not as fast as you!" I shouted back, huffing from exhaustion. I came up on the hill and gaped. Just below was a giant mansion in the middle of a giant ring of dead grass. It seemed to emanate with creepiness and strangeness. I looked down further and saw my other two friends, Adam and Stan.

"Sean!" Stan shouted, cupping his hands together, "Get down here!" I heard and retreated into my turtle shell, racing down the big hill. I started to speed up, which worried me slightly, but then slowed down and eventually came to a stop. I felt myself hitting something as I stopped. I grunted and came out of my shell, seeing a giant stone pillar with a statue of a scary-looking Boo on top of it.

"Ah! Ghost!" I screamed, falling over on my shell. My friends burst out laughing as I cleaned the dirt off of my shell and got up.

"Ha ha, very funny," I said sarcastically, a grin peeking out on my face.

"Exactly, that was funny," Jonas added, still doubled over from laughing. Adam, who normally doesn't speak much, was grinning,

"Jonas is correct." After a few minutes of grinning and laughing, we managed to collect ourselves. I looked around at my friends, glad that we were having a good time already, and we haven't even gotten to the main point of this trip. I was wearing my normal green shell, along with Jonas wearing his red one, Stan wearing his yellow one, and Adam wearing his blue one.

"Ok, we came here for a reason," Adam pointed out.

"Agreed," Jonas added, "We came here to see which of us would stay in the haunted battle course of GCN Luigi's Mansion long enough for the night."

"And legend says that creepy ghosts and apparitions appear if one sleeps during the night," I said in a storyteller-esque voice.

"So, who's gonna be the first to go inside?" Stan asked. Everyone looked at Jonas, who was confused,

"What the? Why me?"

"You are the one who loves to scare others, so it's only fair that if a scare happens, it happens to you," I said, grinning. Jonas laughed,

"I guess that's fair." He headed for the wooden door and grabbed the brass handle. It was held up by the tongue of a Boo statue.

"Heh, I ain't afraid of no ghost," Jonas said with confidence as he opened the door. He screamed after he did that, as a horde of Swoopers flew out the door at rapid speed. Stan snickered,

"If you aren't afraid of ghosts, why are you afraid of bats?"

"Swoopers are annoying, okay?" Jonas said, a little shaken. He continued to creak the door open, revealing a checkered floor in front of the door followed by a green carpet that partially covered up a wooden path that spread out in three directions.

"That wasn't so bad," Jonas commented, partially regaining his composure. Right behind him, the door creaked slightly before slamming shut, causing a loud noise. Everyone jumped and screamed,

"Don't worry everyone, it could have been the wind," Adam commented.

"I don't know, maybe this was a bad idea," Jonas said, losing his composure again.

"We don't really have a choice now, as the door is locked," I said, attempting to unlock the door.

"Well," Stan started, "we said we would stay in this mansion for one night, and I intend to do that."

"I second that," I added.

"Well, let's find a place to sleep in that case," Adam said, keeping his calm and collected manner.

"Have any of you actually been in the mansion?" I asked. Everyone looked at each other in dead silence, waiting for someone to open their mouths.

"Well, let's find a way to some sort of bedroom," Adam said. Everyone nodded. Above them, there was a chandelier with candles that burned bright red. However, after Adam suggested they find rooms, the candle flames turned to blue, and a strange laughter emanated faintly throughout the mansion.

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this new side story i'll be working on! I expect this to be about 5 chapters long, but the length could vary depending on the length of each chapter. This is also my first dabble into the Supernatural and Suspense genres, so please be sure to review the story, as I want to get better! :D Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and have a fabulous day!**


	2. Chapter 2: Laughter and Ghosts

**Apparitions: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story**

Chapter 2: Laughter and Ghosts

Jonas was scared now, really scared.

"Did anyone else hear that faint laughter?" he asked timidly, "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do this…"

Stan laughed, finding humor in Jonas's current state.

"Weren't you the one who came up with the idea?" Jonas nodded,

"I'm beginning to question my judgement." I looked around, taking in the surroundings.

"There are three paths," Adam commented, "One ahead, one to the left, and one to the right. We should each take one path, with one staying behind to guard the door."

"I don't know Adam, maybe splitting up isn't a good idea." Jonas said, getting more scared by the second.

"We'll be fine, Jonas, it's not like a ghost is going to jump out at us or anything," Stan laughed.

"Oh come on! Now that you said that, something is bound to happen!" Jonas said angrily.

"It's okay Jonas," I offered, "We're in this together," Jonas started to calm down, but was still a little spooked,

"Okay, in that case, I'll take the path ahead."

"I call the left path."

"Right," Adam muttered.

"Exactly, I am going down the left path," I said.

"No, I mean, the right path," Adam corrected. I nodded in understanding.

"And I'll stay here," Stan said. I creeped along the left path. It wasn't too dark, as the candles near the front door, but there was a creepy atmosphere as I noticed the path started to curve upward.

"This is super weird," I muttered to myself. There were bookcases all around me, guarded by guardrails. Being curious, I jumped over the rail and looked at some of the books.

"Interesting, this one is about the mansion," I muttered, and read a page in the book I took out that I flipped to,

"This three floored mansion, while used as a battle course in the GameCube era, is also now used as a battle course in the Switch era. It's only used during daylight hours, as once the clock strikes midnight, everyone who doesn't get out gets turned into a ghost! Guys, we've got to get out of here!" Before I could say anything further though, I heard a loud scream coming from behind me.

"Stan!" I shouted. I ran back down the green carpet path and dashed to the front door. When I arrived though, Stan was nowhere to be found. Jonas and Adam rushed down as well.

"Guys! What happened?" Jonas asked.

"I think Stan may have disappeared," Adam noted calmly.

"Oh, I don't like this," Jonas said in a worried tone.

"We don't really have a choice," Adam pointed out. I nodded,

"We should probably stick together though, as I don't think splitting up is a good idea considering we don't know where Stan is now."

"Which way should we head then?" Adam asked.

"Doesn't matter, as long as we get out of here!" Jonas screamed.

"Be quiet!" I screamed, "We don't know who else is in here."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Who said that?" Jonas asked, scared out of his wits.

"I don't know," I said, starting to get scared myself.

"Maybe that is what took Stan. Come on, it was coming from the right!" Adam shouted. Jonas and I looked at each other, scared, but we followed Adam up the slope. It was similar to the path I followed, with tons of books lining both sides of the mansion. When we reached the top of the path, we noticed a giant square room with four pillars in the center, and a giant rectangular cut out of the roof in the center.

"I really don't like the look of this," I commented.

"We're doomed!" Jonas shouted, retreating into his shell.

"Where could Stan be?" I asked Adam. He looked pensive,

"I do not have any ideas," he replied.

"Well," I explained, "I found a book that said that anyone who doesn't make it out by midnight turns into a ghost!"

"That doesn't sound good," Jonas muttered, still in his shell.

Maybe whatever evil entity has Stan plans to turn him into a ghost," Adam offered.

"If that's true, we gotta stop that ghost," I said. Adam nodded.

"We also have to find a way out of this place," Jonas said in a scared tone.

"No more splitting up, because that's how Stan got caught," I said. Adam nodded, but something caught his eye

"What is that?" He asked pointing in the center of the room.

Adam and I walked towards it while Jonas stayed a safe distance away.

"Is that a GameCube?" I asked Adam,

"Yeah, and the disc in here is Mario Kart: Double Dash." He shrugged and turned the game on. It was already set to 150cc Grand Prix for 2 players, and one person chose King Boo and Peach using the Boo Pipes Kart.

"I think it's set up for us," Adam pointed out.

"Guys, what are you doing?! That GameCube may be haunted!" Jonas exclaimed. Adam shrugged,

"If that is the case, then we should see where this goes as it might lead us to Stan." He picked up one of the two GameCube controllers and looked at the character selection. He hesitated for a second and then handed the controller to me,

"Actually, you are better at Mario Kart, so you should probably do this." Adam said.

"Let's hope I do well," I said fearfully. I looked at the character select and chose my two favorite characters, Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa. I then selected my favorite Kart, the Koopa Dasher. Suddenly, the other controller selected the Mushroom Cup and selected OK to start the race.

"Did that controller just move on its own?" I asked timidly. Jonas screamed,

"Oh my goodness! I told you not to mess with the GameCube!"

"If you want to see your friend again, you must beat me in a series of three trials," a creepy voice taunted.

"Who said that?" Jonas asked fearfully.

"You shall see in due time," the voice said, and laughed the same maniacal laugh as before. The game played itself as normal, going to the first course of the Mushroom Cup, Luigi Circuit. In the game, Lakitu started to count down,

"3,"

"Good luck, doomed Koopa Troopa," the voice said gleefully.

"2," Lakitu continued.

"We'll see about that," I countered.

"1,"

"Oh yes we will," the voice said.

"Go!" Lakitu shouted, and the race was off.

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 2 ;). Sorry if it took a little longer than normal but I have been doing some stuff in my personal life. Anyways, please be sure to leave a review, and don't be afraid to PM me, as I tend to answer pretty quickly ;). Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and have a fantastic day :D.**


	3. Chapter 3: Four Races, One Chance

**Apparitions: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story**

Chapter 3: Four Races, One Chance

"Go!" Lakitu shouted, as the eight racers boosted off the starting line at Luigi Circuit in a copy of Mario Kart: Double Dash!

"I will save my friend," I shouted, not taking my eyes off my side of the screen.

"We shall see who wins," the ghost said menacingly. The Karts continued to race around the track, with my Kart taking the second position and the disembodied voice taking first.

"How are you doing so well?" I asked, still not taking my eyes off of the TV screen.

"When you are undead for so long, you pick up a few things," the voice noted.

"So you are a ghost?" Adam asked, taking note of the things the voice was saying.

"You are correct, smart Koopa Troopa," the voice said, slightly annoyed. My racers were doing pretty well, as I managed to past the ghost into 1st Place, and I was on the Lap 3 out of 3.

"Final Lap!" I exclaimed. Unfortunately, the voice managed to get a Triple Red Shell from an Item Box on the track.

"Sean, please tell me you have a good item…" Jonas asked, peeking out of his shell.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because your 1st Place is about to go down the drain!" Jonas exclaimed, as the ghost managed to hit me with all three Red Shells.

"Uh oh," I said, as I realized I had no defensive items and took three hits. The voice laughed hysterically as he passed me on his way to the finish line. Unfortunately for him, he didn't noticed he was driving his characters straight towards the giant Chain Chomp on the track. It barked at him and hit his Kart, causing him to spin out and allowing me to take the lead.

"Yes!" I screamed.

"No! This is ridiculous!" The figure shouted. I continued to race around the track eventually taking the 1st Place spot. I high-fived Adam and Jonas, who finally got out of his Shell to do so. The ghost sneered,

"Fine, you may have won one of the four races, but you must beat me in all four races in the 150cc Mushroom Cup. Failure to get 40 points will result in consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" Jonas asked timidly.

"You'll see if you fail," the ghost laughed. The ghost then selected the "Next Race" on the menu continuing the 150cc Mushroom Cup to the second race, Peach Beach. Lakitu counted down again, and we were off, racing around the track.

"Ah, I remember this track. It's so relaxing," Jonas commented.

"It would be more relaxing if I didn't have to race for one of our friend's lives," I said sarcastically. Things were going pretty well, as I was in 1st Place for the entire 1st Lap and most of the 2nd Lap.

"Sean! Watch out!" Adam shouted. I was confused at first but suddenly heard a siren in the game.

"Oh no, is that what I think it is?" I asked.

"Oh yes it is, have fun with that," the ghost sneered. The dreaded Spiny Shell snuck up on me and hit me straight in the back of the Kart, causing me to drop down to 5th Place.

"Ha ha! I shall win this race!" The ghost laughed. I cringed, and continued to drive down the track, far behind the ghost.

"You shall suffer the consequence of entering my mansion uninvited, and fail the three trials!" The ghost laughed. I furrowed my brow and put all my concentration on the game before me.

"No, I won't," I said. I started weaving in between the other Karts on the track attempting to climb my way back up to 1st Place. I passed through the Finish Line signifying the Final Lap, but I wasn't sure I would make it back up to 1st.

"Come on, I need a good Item…" I said to myself. Unfortunately, as we weaved back around to the finish line, the ghost hit me with a Green Shell that he tossed backwards, causing me to get 2nd Place instead of 1st.

"No!" I screamed. The ghost started laughing hysterically as I noticed we were now tied for 1st Place.

"Now for your punishment…" the ghost said maliciously.

"Help!" Jonas screamed. I turned around to see Jonas being dragged away from his feet by an invisible force.

"Something's got me and I can't let go!" Adam and I gasped as we saw Jonas attempt to grasp at the floor, but to no avail.

"Guys, I need help!" Jonas screamed.

"I got this," Adam said calmly as he ran over to Jonas and grabbed his hand. He grunted as the ghost continued to pull him while he attempted to pull Jonas as well.

"Gah! It hurts!" Jonas screamed as he was pulled from both sides of him.

"I'm trying!" Adam grunted.

"Push him off," the ghost said passively.

The other specter that was carrying Jonas shook him, causing Adam to lose balance.

"Jonas, no!" I screamed as he was dragged down a staircase before a flash of light occurred. Adam ran over with a worried look on his face,

"He's gone."

"Oh great," I said, getting more worried by the second.

"If you want to see your friend again, I suggest you start winning," the ghost sneered. I sighed and nodded. I couldn't see the ghost, but I could tell it was smiling,

"Good, onto the next race then." He clicked "Next Race" and the game quickly switched to the third course of the Mushroom Cup, Baby Park.

"Oh no, not this stage," I said, cringing at the course introduction of the shortest track in the game. Lakitu started the countdown, and sweat poured down my face.

"You got this," Adam whispered in my ear, as I continued to stand there, gripping my controller, and just looking at what was about to become absolute chaos.

"Go!" Lakitu shouted, and the race was off around the 7 Lap course. Immediately, everything flew into chaos with items flying everywhere around the oval-shaped course.

"Why do we have to race on this course?" I cringed, as I completed my fourth lap in 1st Place.

"Is someone a little scared?" The ghost taunted, catching up behind me in his Kart by the time the sixth lap started.

"No," I said, confidence slipping away. The ghost simply laughed,

"You shouldn't be nervous now, just wait until you lose the Grand Prix." I gulped but continued to race around the track. I drifted into the finish line, signifying the seventh and final lap.

"I can do this," I repeated to myself, as I whisked around the track one last time to finish the race.

"Yes! I got first!" I screamed as the ghost came in second. Adam and I high-fived, while the ghost snickered,

"You know there is still one more race, right?" My expression saddened,

"Oh, right. What was the last course?" The ghost selected "next race" and the game shifted the course to Dry Dry Desert.

"Ok, this course isn't so bad," I commented. Lakitu started the countdown and we were off. I took an early lead with the ghost not far behind. As I weaved my way through the course, I started to get further and further along the course.

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen," I snarked.

"Oh, I'll show you heat alright," the ghost said. The ghost drove through a Double Item Box and picked up a Star. Suddenly, a Lightning Bolt struck everyone on the course, shrinking everyone, but since the ghost picked up a Star and used it, he was unaffected.

"Bam! Shock dodge!" He shouted. He started to catch up, since I was shrunk and that slowed me down, and the Star the ghost had speeds one's Kart up.

"Oh no, I cannot lose!" I said, concentrating as he passed me on the way to the final lap. He dodged and weaved his Kart through the desert path, avoiding the obstacles along the path.

"It was fun while it lasted, but I'm afraid your time is over," the ghost laughed, getting closer and closer to the finish line.

"No," I said, lowering my head and drooping my eyes.

"Don't worry," Adam whispered, "Look at that." He pointed at an indicator on the bottom of the screen.

"I looked and smiled, noticing what Adam was referring to."

"Sorry, but I've won this race," the ghost said with confidence.

"Oh yeah? Have fun with that," I shot back seeing a blue blur soar past me.

"Have fun with what?" the ghost questioned. Suddenly, the Spiny Shell hit the ghost's Kart right as he was about to cross the finish line.

"Yes, I won!" I said, high-fiving Adam.

"Nice job, Sean."

"Congratulations, you beat me, but you still have two more trials to pass," the ghost said, his voice drifting away.

"Oh right, you said three trials, not one," I said, slightly discouraged.

"Come to the roof," the ghost ushered. Adam placed his hand on my shoulder,

"Let's do this." I nodded, and we ran to a corridor that curved up to the roof of the mansion, with the GameCube vanishing into thin air.

 **A/N: Uh oh, Sean's friends are slowly disappearing one by one, and he only finished the first trial! I have tried to end each chapter on a suspenseful note so as to keep the genre of suspense going. A fun fact is that the reason Sean raced in the 150cc Mushroom Cup in Mario Kart: Double Dash is because getting 1st Place in that actually unlocks Luigi's Mansion as a battle stage. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading and have a great day! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Thief

**Apparitions: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story**

Chapter 4: The Thief

Adam and I raced up the corridor to the mansion roof, hoping to find our two lost friends.

"They better be up there, or I'm going to kill that ghost!" I said angrily.

"Ghosts are already dead, Sean," he reminded me.

"Oh, right, oops." We reached the top of the mansion, on the roof, and we were surprised to see yet another game console.

"Is that a Nintendo Switch?" Adam asked. I laughed and picked up the small console out of it's dock.

"Of course it is! I've always wanted one of those. They are so hard to find"

"Your second challenge is to beat me in one round of Shine Thief in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe," the ghost informed us.

"Shine Thief, huh?" Adam asked, "Mind if I do this challenge?"

I smiled,

"By all means. Prepare to lose, ghost, Adam is a master at Shine Thief."

"We shall see about that," the ghost responded. He handed Adam the Pro Controller while he took the Joy-Con.

The ghost chose King Boo with the Standard Kart, Azure Roller Tires, and Wario Wing, while Adam chose Koopa Troopa with the Mach 8, Standard Tires, and Super Glider

"We shall do it on the Luigi's Mansion stage, obviously," the ghost said excitedly. Adam nodded and the game started the round of Shine Thief.

"Go!" Lakitu shouted in the game, and the racers were off.

"I got the Shine!" the ghost shouted as he picked up the lone Shine Sprite on the map. I snickered,

"Not for long you don't." Adam slowly weaved his way through the other CPU racers as he attempted to pelt the ghost's character with Fireballs.

"Oh, come on!" the ghost shouted, as Adam drove into the Shine, picking it up.

"You might want to get out of there," I advised, noticing the large amount of racers near Adam.

"I know, I'm leaving." He weaved his way through the racers, driving into a narrow pathway.

His counter was already getting close to zero as he continued to dodge racers trying to take his Shine Sprite.

"I think you just won!" I said, smiling.

"It's not over until it is over," Adam said wisely.

"Exactly," the ghost agreed, as he used a Mushroom item to steal the Shine.

"He stole it from you! Get it back from that thief!" I pointed out.

"That's why it's called Shine Thief," the ghost snickered.

"I know that," I countered.

The ghost started to drive away with his Shine and Adam began to follow him.

"Get back here, you specter!" I said.

"I prefer the term apparition, actually," the ghost said matter-of-factly.

"Whatever, chase him down!" Adam nodded and drove his character up a pathway to the center of the map near where the ghost was driving away. Suddenly, a CPU hit the ghost with an item,

"Get the Shine!" I shouted.

"Dude, can you please stop shouting?" Adam asked.

"Sorry, I'm excited."

"Well, it's a little distracting and if you recall, our friends lives are on the line," Adam said calmly. I was struck, as Adam normally is very stoic.

"You're right, I'll stop."

"Thank you," the ghost said.

"Why are you talking?" I questioned.

"You don't think ghosts have ears? I'm with him on this one," the ghost said, pointing at Adam. By this point, the CPU playing as Peach had picked up the Shine.

"No! Give that back, honey!" the ghost screamed enraged, as he threw a Bob-Omb at Peach, making her drop the Shine.

"Out of curiousity, why did you call Peach 'honey'?" Adam asked calmly. I started to lose my composure as I pieced together what this meant.

"Do you have a crush on Princess Peach?" I asked, giggling.

"No," the ghost said flatly.

"Do you?"

"No"

"But do you?"

"No," the ghost said, getting more angry.

"I think you do," I prodded.

"No! I don't!"

"I would suggest not irritating a ghost," Adam suggested.

"That's it, I'm going to beat you for making fun of my crush!" The ghost screamed.

"So you DO have a crush on Peach," I snickered.

"Argh!" The ghost shouted, as his Joy-Con started to glow.

"Woah, I don't think the Joy-Con are supposed to glow like that…" I commented. Suddenly, the game shifted the Shine Sprite over to the ghost and gave him the Shine.

"Hey! That's cheating!" I said angrily.

"I told you not to make the ghost angry," Adam pointed out. The Shine counter started to get dangerously close to zero, but every time he got hit by an item, he simply jumped in the air as if he got a Feather. Suddenly, the counter reached zero and the ghost won.

"That's it! I'm sick of dealing with you and your annoying friends!" The ghost said, you'll all become ghosts. Out of nowhere, something grabbed me and pinned me down to the ground. I glanced ahead of me and saw that Adam was also pinned down.

"Let's see who we should capture first," the ghost taunted. Adam and I looked at each other, both with terrified looks on our faces.

"Eenie, meanie, miney, mo, capture a Boo by it's tongue. I choose you!" He pointed at Adam, who gasped.

"Hey! He's not a Pokémon, you don't choose him!" I said angrily.

"I could care less what you think," the ghost said, "take him away."

"No! Adam!"

"It's ok," he said in his normal calm voice, "you'll find me, and we will get out of here without becoming ghosts." I was starting to tear up,

"Adam, I don't want to die."

"We will get out of here. It's up to you now," he said as he got dragged out of sight into a narrow pathway before a flash came from the pathway.

"Now to deal with you," the ghost said, suddenly turning visible for the first time.

"Ah! What are you?" I asked with fear. It looked like a Speedy Spirit, but was white with two bulging purple eyes.

"I am Ap, the apparition, and I am the one who is going to curse you and your friends." Suddenly, more of Ap's friends revealed themselves, and they looked similar except for their eyes being green instead of purple.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, scared.

"Because you were foolish enough to wander into this mansion during the dark hours of the night."

"Is that it, though? I feel like you are doing this for another reason."

The ghost hesitated, then relented,

"It's because I've been lonely. Even when I was alive and well, I've never had friends. The only way I've been able to deal with this is by cursing people to be ghosts, thereby trapping them here and putting them under a spell."

I was still scared, but started to feel a little bad for the ghost.

"I...I would be your friend, if you release my friends."

"No! I will curse you all!" the ghost screamed.

"But you still have yet to do the third trial," I pointed out as his hands began to glow purple. His hands stopped glowing.

"Oh yes, the third trial. It is simple. It's Renegade Roundup," the ghost stated. I sighed with relief.

"BUT IN REAL LIFE!"

"Oh no," I said meekly, "Could this day get any worse?"

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, as it was action packed and really fun to write. Sorry I've been updating a little less frequently, as I have had a few things to do in my personal life, but I will try to update my story as frequently as possible. Anyways, this story has only one more chapter before it is done, and then I am going to move on to my next big project. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and have a fabulous day :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Friend or Foe?

**Apparitions: A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Short Story**

Chapter 5: Friend or Foe?

Ap and his four ghost friends were smiling gleefully and I was scared out of my wits. I couldn't believe what he had just said.

"Renegade Roundup, but in real life?"

"Correct," said the ghostly figure of Ap, "You must beat my three friends and I at one round of Renegade Roundup. You remember how to play, don't you?" I rolled my eyes,

"Yeah, yeah, one team is the law and the others are the renegades. The law has to catch all the renegades before the time runs out and the renegades have to dodge the law before the time runs out. If the law catches the renegades, they go to jail and the renegades can free their teammates if they are in jail." Ap smiled,

"Good, mortal."

"Wait, but don't you have the advantage as you have four people and I am the only one?" I questioned. Ap smiled so evilly and widely that he made me shiver in fear just by looking at him,

"Oh yeah, you will have five people. Get the others."

"Others?" I asked. The ghosts disappeared into thin air and then reappeared a few seconds later.

"What the?! Those are my friends!" Right in front of me, in cages, stood Stan, Jonas, and Adam, but they weren't screaming for help as I expected. Instead, they stood there like statues, simply staring into space.

"These are your supposed friends. They will be on your team, but I have adjusted them slightly," Ap said, looking at each of my friends.

"What did you do to them?" I questioned him, almost shouting.

"Not much, I simply had three of my friends possess them so they wouldn't be able to talk or show emotion."

"How do I know your friends won't use their bodies to turn against me thereby making the game unfair?" I asked incredulously.

"If you do not accept my challenge, you and your friends will immediately be turned into ghosts doomed to haunt the halls of this mansion forever."

"Deal," I said, feeling a pang of fear and doubt reverberate throughout my body.

"Excellent," Ap smiled with less evil than before, "I finally have someone who isn't a ghost to play with after all this time. Oh, and your team is the Renegade team while my team is the authority team." I nodded, bracing myself for what was to come.

"Now, let's get this game started, shall we?" Ap said, looking very joyful. He snapped his fingers and I suddenly was transported into a Kart situated on top of the mansion.

"Ok Sean, you can do this," I told myself, "You can win, and save your friends...even if I'm up against a powerful ghost with the ability to...forget it, start the match!" A Fishin' Boo came down and started to count down from 3.

"Oh, I get it, since Fishin' Boos are ghost Lakitus, and Lakitu starts the race, it only makes sense that this guy starts the race here."

"Would you shut up with your monologue and focus on the race?" The Fishin' Boo asked in an annoyed tone.

"Sheesh, I wouldn't want to be like that guy," I whispered to myself.

"I heard that!" He said, exasperated.

"Just start the race!" Ap shouted from across the roof.

The Fishin' Boo rolled his eyes and started his countdown.

"3," I stared at Ap, who suddenly had a Bone Piranha Plant attached to his Kart.

"2," I started to rev my engine, as Ap revved his.

"1," I locked eyes with Ap. We both looked confident.

"Go!" I hit my foot on the gas pedal, and I sped off the roof into the intermediate floor of the mansion.

"Woah!" I shouted as I experienced a large drop of approximately one flight as I made a beeline straight for a side corridor. Surprisingly, the Kart was ok and continued driving as normal.

"Huh, video game physics," I muttered to myself. I drove my Kart into the corridor, fearful of what I would find next. I drove through an Item Box, and a roulette appeared on the dashboard of my Kart.

"Come on, come on," I said apprehensively. Suddenly, the roulette stopped spinning and I received the Feather Item.

"Yes," I said confidently. I saw a jail up ahead with Sean in it. I gasped, as this meant he was captured by the law team.

"I'm coming Sean!" I shouted, racing my Kart down the corridor straight at the big button beneath the jail. Unfortunately, I failed to notice a ghostly figure right in front of the jail until I was almost directly in front of it.

"Bye bye, Koopa Troopa," he grinned, "Have fun being a ghost soon!" I grimaced,

"Oh no!"

I panicked and pressed a button on my Kart, accidentally activating the Feather I got from the Item Box. I screamed loudly as I was propelled high in the air due to my Feather. In fact, I jumped straight over the ghost and landed on the button, freeing Sean from jail.

"Ha ha!" I taunted. The ghost gritted his teeth and started to chase after me. I looked behind me to see the ghost and gasped,

"Oh, this is bad." I weaved my way up another narrow corridor and out onto the giant open floor right beneath the roof. I quickly looked around and noticed another jail on the other side of the floor. This time though, it had Adam in it.

"I'm coming Adam!" I shouted.

"Maybe you should stop shouting," the ghost behind me laughed.

"Why do you care?" I questioned. The ghost simply laughed.

"What's so funny?" I questioned again, this time more fearful. The ghost continued to laugh, and I looked in front of me, noticing another drooling Bone Piranha Plant.

"Oh n-!" The Bone Piranha Plant took a bite at my Kart before I could finish my sentence. Instead of being devoured though, I was placed in the jail I was trying to break open.

"Well, that happened," I commented. I looked to the right to see Adam next to me.

"Hey, Adam, do you have any ideas on how to get out of this?"

Adam remained silent, and didn't even turn to talk to me.

"Oh right, you're possessed by some ghost friend of Ap's."

I noticed Jonas driving around and attempted to shout at him,

"Over here! Free us from the jail cell!"

Unfortunately, he simply drove past the cell and into the corridor leading to the first floor.

"You have got to be kidding me," I muttered. Stan drove by a few seconds later and I tried doing the same thing,

"Over here! We need to get out of here!"

He also ended up driving past the jail and down the same corridor. I sighed and turned to Adam.

"Adam, come on! Break free from your possession and help us get out of here!" Adam didn't say a word and continued staring. I started to lose hope and banged my head on the steering wheel and closed my eyes in sorrow

"It can't end like this, not here, not now." Inadvertently, my head actually hit the car horn.

The ghost guarding the cell jumped and turned around.

"Do you mind not honking your horn? It hurts my ears," he chided. Behind him, a Green Shell barreled towards him and damaged his Kart.

"Hey! What was that for?"

While his Bone Piranha Plant was stunned, Jonas went around him and drove over the jail Switch.

"Heck yes! We are free!" I shouted, "Thanks buddy," Jonas didn't turn to look at me and kept driving. An alarm sounded and I looked down on my Kart to see that one minute remained in the battle.

"Alright, let's finish this."

"Indeed," commented Ap himself as he started driving after me.

"Yikes!" I started to drive away up the corridor to the top of the mansion. I aimed for the Item Box and drove through it, getting a Banana Peel. Ap was slowly gaining on me, and he grinned,

"Soon you and your friends will be ghosts!" Then, less loudly, he muttered,

"Then maybe I'll have more friends." He turned his attention to me as he was about three yards away from my Kart. I panicked and looked at my indicator, which showed that 10 seconds remained in the match. I sighed and focused on my Banana Peel. It's smiling face was staring back at me as it rested on my dashboard.

"Hey Ap!" I shouted, "Slip and slide on this Banana Peel!" I threw it behind me.

"What the?" He drove right over the banana causing his Kart to spin out of control. He screamed as he crashed into the wall, with the clock striking zero.

"Yes, Renegades win! Woohoo!" I shouted. I drove around and parked the Kart right next to Ap. As he crawled out of his Kart, I stared at him,

"Alright, we won. Now please let my friends and I go."

Ap crawled out of his Kart and looked at the ground.

"Ok ok, you won. You can leave now."

He snapped his fingers, and his friends appeared with each of them carrying a Koopa Troopa. Ap snapped again and three ghostly figures exited the bodies of Jonas, Stan and Adam. They fell to the ground and gasped for breath.

"Now get out of my sight. I don't want to deal with you all anymore," Ap said dejectedly.

"If you wanted to be friends with us, why didn't you just ask?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Jonas huffed, still out of breath and on the ground,

"Why would that ghost want friends? He tried to kill us! Did one of them hit you in the head?" Stan questioned, slightly less out of breath and more annoyed. I looked at my friends and then at Ap, who had his back turned to me.

"Guys, I think the ghost just wanted someone to play Mario Kart with." Adam stood up, still slightly out of breath, and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Sean, we can't stay here. Even if he really had good motives, it's too dangerous. We need to leave now and head back home." I was taken aback, usually Adam is the calm and sensible one, but he wouldn't even give the apparition a chance.

"Fine, if you guys won't give him a chance, I will. I'll see you guys later," I said, anger rising in my voice.

"Sean, come on, we need to get out of here," Adam responded calmly.

"No!" I shouted, getting more angry, "This ghost is lonely, and I want to help."

"He took control of our bodies, Sean," Jonas said, still shaken, "What if he turns you into a ghost?"

"I trust that he won't."

"How?" Jonas asked with a confused and slightly annoyed tone in his voice.

"Yeah, how can you trust this guy?" Stan asked, who had an even more annoyed tone.

"You guys...you guys just don't understand!" I said angrily, "He's just lonely. Just get out of here, he'll bring me back to you guys when we finish."

"We aren't leaving without you," Adam said calmly.

"Yes, you are." I turned around and refused to look at them.

Adam, Stan and Jonas looked at each other dumbstruck.

"We'll take you out by force if we need to," Stan said bumping his fist into his open palm.

"No," Adam said, looking at the floor.

"I thought you were on our side!" Stan screamed in Adam's ear.

"If he wants to turn into a ghost, then it's his loss."

"It will be my gain, but thank you Adam," I replied.

"Will you escort my former friends out of here?" I said angrily to Ap.

He nodded and snapped his fingers.

"Wait, you are making a mistake, SEAN!" Jonas shouted as the ghosts carried them through the balcony and out of the mansion.

"Thank you for giving me a chance," Ap said dejectedly.

"No problem, I smiled, patting his ghostly skin."

"Now, wanna play some Mario Kart?" Ap smiled, but not in a menacing way,

"I'd be glad to."

 **A/N: Oh wow, this chapter took a long time to write. Sorry guys, real life stuff got in the way, but I'm glad to be back writing more for you guys. I hoped you enjoyed Apparitions and be sure to look out for my next story, which will be a prequel to** _ **The Greatest Enemy**_ **. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed and have a fabulous day :D**


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